What Can You Do With a Meteorology Degree?

What can you do with a meteorology degree that leads to a meteorology career … or climatology careers?

What can you do with a meteorology degree? Pete forecasts the possible career opportunities for students majoring in meteorology in today’s installment of, “What can I do with THAT degree?”

If you’re reading this, then congratulations! You have just taken one of the first steps toward pursuing an exciting meteorology career! I know, I know, maybe I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself; but seriously, you’re off to a good start here. You’re obviously at least somewhat interested in pursuing a meteorology degree and wondering what exactly you can do with one after graduating. Well, let’s explore some of the options!

First up is probably the most well-known career in meteorology, broadcast meteorology. These are the guys inside your television and on the radio letting you know what the weather is going to be like for the day. But this job isn’t just about standing in front of a camera; broadcast meteorologists actually use advanced graphics programs themselves to create the maps and charts you see on TV that help them explain their forecasts.

Looking for a little more action? Then a career in forensic meteorology may be for you. In this field, meteorologists use historical weather data to recreate the weather conditions for specific places on specific dates, usually for the purpose of providing context to a crime that was committed. Once the weather conditions have been confirmed, forensic meteorologists then determine whether or not the weather played a significant role in whatever it is that happened.

Remember all those advanced programs I said broadcast meteorologists use in order to do their job? Well, who do you think are the ones who develop all these new methods of collecting data and accurately forecasting the weather? They are research meteorologists — and that’s just one of the many roles they play. Research meteorologists also study specific aspects of weather, specializing in things like hurricanes, tornadoes and determining better and faster ways of forecasting them. More than any other type of meteorologist, research meteorologists rely on teaming up with experts in other fields, such as software engineers, in order to complete their tasks.

You probably never knew there were so many different sub-fields in meteorology, huh? The best part is, there are so many other types of meteorologists out there that I didn’t even get to talk about in this post including atmospheric science and climatology careers. I’ll let you explore those on your own, and by the time you’re done, there is no way you should still be asking yourself, “What can you do with a meteorology degree?” Happy searching, future meteorologists!